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Picador to publish Judy Blume's new novel for adults

Lots of us here at Picador grew up reading Judy Blume's novels – Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, Tiger Eyes,Forever and many more besides – and are indebted to her for making sense of our teenage years. We couldn't be more excited to be publishing In the Unlikely Event, her first novel for adults for sixteen years.

Lots of us here at Picador grew up reading Judy Blume's novels – Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, Tiger Eyes,Forever and many more besides – and are indebted to her for making sense of our teenage years. We couldn't be more excited to be publishing In the Unlikely Event, her first novel for adults for sixteen years.

In Blume’s own words, In The Unlikely Event ‘is based on a series of tragedies in the town I lived in when I was growing up, and the terrible time it was for the adults and the children, although the adults never talked to the children about it.’

When three planes crashed in Elizabeth, New Jersey within the space of three months in the early 1950s, Newark airport was closed for a year. Each one was devastating not only for those on board, but also for the close-knit community of people whose homes and lives were irrevocably affected. In Elizabeth, the plane crashes open new wounds and mysteries – they bring some families together and tear others apart. But somehow, life continues – and amid grief and loss, hope and love survive.

Francesca Main, the book's UK editor, said: ‘In the Unlikely Event is a beautifully drawn, deeply moving, unforgettable novel from a master storyteller. It has a big canvas, yet never feels any less than intimate and immediate. As one of millions whose teenage years were immeasurably enriched by reading Judy Blume, it is an indescribable honour to be publishing this book.’

In the Unlikely Event will be published in summer 2015 – watch this space!